vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 Transforming the historical waterfront: An(r/t)repo in Istanbul Esen Gökçe Özdamar, Assistant Professor, PhD Namık Kemal University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Architecture, Tekirdag, Turkey E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Recibido: 30 marzo 2016 Revisado: 5 abril 2016 Publicado: 10 Mayo 2016 Abstract This article focuses on the ongoing transformation of Antrepo buildings (warehouses) built on the piers in Salıpazarı Harbor, its effect on the public domain, and the outcry of the residents against using venues of art used for purely commercial purposes, resulting in gentrification. Planned and designed by Sedat Hakkı Eldem, one of the pioneers of the Modern Movement in Turkey in the late 1950s, Salıpazarı Harbor functions as the main international port of İstanbul. Besides the fact that the warehouses of the pier were housed in Tophane earlier, Salıpazarı has immense historical and cultural importance; it faces the Historical Peninsula, is adjacent to the open museum of Ottoman architecture dating to the seventeenth century, and is a contemporary art venue. The harbor area consists of seven warehouses that were functional until 1990. Since then, three of the warehouses have been renovated to become, respectively, the İstanbul Modern art gallery, an art exhibition gallery, and the İstanbul art biennial venue. Beginning with the 1990s, this area has come under great threat with the announcement of the “Galataport” project, which aims to transform the harbor into a cruise port with residential and trade facilities, thereby reducing public access to the historical waterfront area and becoming another site of gentrification. This plan for the adaptation and reuse of the warehouses drew a great deal of opposition from the public. This article, therefore, examines the status of art used as a tool to generate capital and bring about gentrification versus the public, whose lives are going to be affected by these proposed changes. It addresses how art is evaluated from different perspectives in urban 7 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 transformation, based on social and political interests, taking the example of the Salıpazarı Harbor. Palabras clave: Antrepo, el arte orientado al, transformación urbana, gentrificación Resumen Este artículo se centra en la transformación en curso de los almacenes de Antrepo construidos en los muelles en Salipazari Harbor, en su efecto sobre el dominio público, y en la protesta de los vecinos contra el uso de intervenciones artísticas utilizadas con fines puramente comerciales, lo que resulta en un proceso de gentrificación. Planeados y diseñados por Sedad Eldem, uno de los pioneros del movimiento moderno en Turquía a finales de 1950, Salipazari Harbor funciona como el principal puerto internacional de Estambul. Además del hecho de que los almacenes del muelle fueron alojados anteriormente en Tophane, Salipazari tiene una inmensa importancia histórica y cultural; se sitúa frente a la península histórica, se encuentra próximo al museo abierto de arquitectura otomana que data del siglo XVII, y es un lugar de arte contemporáneo. La zona del puerto está formada por siete almacenes que funcionaron hasta el año 1990. Desde entonces, tres de los almacenes han sido renovados para convertirse, respectivamente, en la galería de arte moderno de Estambul, en una galería de exposiciones de arte, y el lugar de la Bienal de Arte de Estambul. Desde inicios de la década de 1990, esta zona ha estado bajo la gran amenaza del proyecto "Galataport", que tiene como objetivo transformar el actual puerto, en un puerto de cruceros con instalaciones residenciales y comerciales, reduciendo de este modo el acceso público a la zona del puerto histórico y transformándola en un territorio de gentrificación. Este plan para la adaptación y la reutilización de los almacenes generó una gran oposición por parte del público. En este artículo, por lo tanto, examina el estatuto del arte utilizado como una herramienta para generar capital y lograr la gentrificación contra los ciudadanos, cuyas vidas van a ser afectados por los cambios propuestos. Se ocupa de cómo se evalúa el arte desde diferentes perspectivas en la transformación urbana, sobre la base de los intereses sociales y políticos, tomando el ejemplo el puerto de Salipazari. Palabras clave: Antrepo, el arte orientado al capital, transformación urbana, gentrificación Resum Aquest article se centra en la transformació en curs dels magatzems de Antrepo construïts en els molls a Salipazari Harbor, en el seu efecte sobre el domini públic, i en la protesta dels veïns contra l'ús d'intervencions artístiques utilitzades amb fins purament comercials, la qual cosa resulta en un procés de gentrificació. Planejats i dissenyats per Sedad Eldem, un dels pioners del moviment modern a Turquia a finals de 1950, Salipazari Harbor funciona com el principal 8 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 port internacional d'Istanbul. A més del fet que els magatzems del moll van ser allotjats anteriorment en Tophane, Salipazari té una immensa importància històrica i cultural; se situa enfront de la península històrica, es troba pròxim al museu obert d'arquitectura otomana que data del segle XVII, i és un lloc d'art contemporani. La zona del port està formada per set magatzems que van funcionar fins a l'any 1990. Des de llavors, tres dels magatzems han estat renovats per a convertir-se, respectivament, en la galeria d'art modern d'Istanbul, en una galeria d'exposicions d'art, i en el lloc de la Biennal d'Art de Istanbul. Des d'inicis de la dècada de 1990, aquesta zona ha estat sota la gran amenaça del projecte "Galataport", que té com a objectiu transformar l'actual port, en un port de creuers amb instal·lacions residencials i comercials, reduint d'aquesta manera l'accés públic a la zona del port històric i transformant-la en un territori de gentrificació. Aquest pla per a l'adaptació i la reutilització dels magatzems va generar una gran oposició per part del públic. En aquest article, per tant, examina l'estatut de l'art utilitzat com una eina per generar capital i aconseguir la gentrificació contra els ciutadans, les vides van a ser afectats pels canvis proposats. S'ocupa de com s'avalua l'art des de diferents perspectives en la transformació urbana, sobre la base dels interessos socials i polítics, prenent l'exemple el port de Salipazari. Paraules clau: Antrepo, l'art orientat al capital, transformació urbana, gentrificació 9 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 Salıpazarı: Transformation of Antrepo into an Art Space One of the oldest trading centers and industrial areas in İstanbul that is under the threat of urban transformation is the Salıpazarı Pier located in the southern part of Tophane (Öztürk, 2009). The pier has served as a sea gate to the city from the thirteenth century to the twentieth century, and in the seventeenth century, it was the main arrival port for ships coming from Europe. Over the centuries, diverse social groups have lived by this waterfront facing the Historical Peninsula. In the early nineteenth century, with an increase in the density of sea transportation, piers (İstanbul Modern, 2015) and, subsequently, modernist warehouses were constructed in 1910. In the 1950s, after a political upheaval that partially transformed the fabric of the city such as installing building new roads and public service order to provide sufficient space for passenger traffic in spite of the destruction historical fabric of the city. In Tophane, some of the military buildings left over from the Ottoman Empire were demolished. Following this, Sedad Hakkı Eldem, one of the prominent architects of the Modern Movement in Turkey, designed four warehouses in his 1957-58 project (Çimenoğlu, 2011). Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 present Salıpazarı Harbor and Tophane view and drawings from the 1960s. Figure 1. Salıpazarı Harbor and Tophane View from the 1950s (Source:i). Salıpazarı possesses very big amount of historical importance and Tophane-i Amir dating from the Ottoman period. Salıpazarı. Tophane (armory) was the location of Ottoman empires’s cannon and cannonball factory. Source: Çimenoğlu, 2011, 86 p. 10 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 Figure 2. Plan and perspective of the area and a façade, 1953-1960. Courtesy of Rahmi M. Koç Archive. Source: [Online] Date of consult: 10 July 2015, Available at: < https://www.archives.saltresearch.org/R/-?func=dbin-jump- full&object_id=351541&silo_library=GEN01>. 11 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 Figure 3. Drawings, 1953-1960. Courtesy of Rahmi M. Koç Archive. Source: [Online] Date of consult: 10 July 2015, Available at: <https://www.archives.saltresearch.org/R/- ?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=351581&silo_library=GEN01>. Figure 4. Drawings of Tophane Project (Tophane Gümrük ve Ambar Tesisleri ve Tophane Meydanı Düzenleme Projesi), architect Sedat Hakkı Eldem from the 1953-1960 Tophane Square, Salıpazarı, , Courtesy of Rahmi M. Koç Archive. Source: [Online] Date of consult: 10 July 2015, Available at: < https://www.archives.saltresearch.org/R/ -?func=dbin-jump- full&object_id=351525&silo_library=GEN 01>. 12 vol.44, May. 10th, 2016 ISBN: 1139-7365 Modern-day Salıpazarı Pier is a complex consisting of seven antrepo1 buildings previously used as warehouses in Tophane. In the 1970s, trading ceased and the port has since then been used as an entrance point for cruise ships (Taheri, 2013). In the 1990s, with the rising population and a decrease in the number of passengers, the buildings became partially dysfunctional. Some of these were transformed to function as spaces for exhibiting art. Eldem’s antrepo was renovated and transformed into the Istanbul Modern Art Gallery by Tabanlıoğlu architects, the first contemporary art gallery in Turkey. Following this, antrepo no. 5 was transformed into a temporary exhibition gallery and as a meeting place for artists during the year 2010 (Madra, 2010) as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.